The invention concerns a large round baler with at least one flexible, endless bale-forming arrangement that is conducted over rotary bodies with stationary axes and rotary bodies with movable axes and that generally surrounds the circumference of a baling chamber.
The book, FMO-141B, Edition D-00, shows on page 153 a large round baler with fixed side walls between which rotating rollers on stationary axes and on rotating rollers on swingable axes are arranged over which belts can be conducted. Some of the rollers are engaged in a carrier that can be pivoted vertically. The belts also extend over rollers on a tensioning arm which is forced continuously by the force of a spring into a position in which tension is applied to the belts. The advantage of this configuration lies in the fact that the carrier with the few rollers is light and does not require large positioning forces. The disadvantage, however, is that the carrier must be raised by a considerable distance so that the completed cylindrical bale can be ejected, particularly since a second set of belts is provided in the region of the ground, on which the cylindrical bale rests during its formation. When the cylindrical bale is ejected, the tension in the belts is reduced so that the ejection movement of the cylindrical bale cannot be supported.
The prospectus, VERMEER 504 HE, no publication date, shows a large round baler, in which the pivot point of a carrier extending outside the baling chamber, is located almost in the region of the center of the baling chamber. At the outer end region of the carrier, an arm is provided on which several rollers are located, over which belts are conducted and that can penetrate into the baling chamber. In this case, the tensioning arrangement forms several loops in which harvested crop can collect.
DE-A1-198 51 470 discloses a large round baler with only a single set of belts that are conducted over rollers on stationary axes and rollers on axes that can be moved in their positions in a fixed housing and in a housing component that can be pivoted. A tensioning arm is also provided that conducts the belts over two adjustable rollers. The disadvantage of this configuration consists of its limited arrangement, that results from the use of two tensioning rollers and that leads to several loops in the bale-forming arrangement during the baling operation, in which crop to be baled can accumulate and lead to jams.
The problem underlying the invention is seen in the need to propose a compact large round baler with a tensioning mechanism that maintains tension on the bale-forming arrangement and avoids jams.
This problem is solved according to the invention by the teaching of patent claim 1, where the further patent claims cite characteristics that further develop the solution to great advantage.
The arrangement of two adjacent rotary bodies on the carrier, between which the bale-forming arrangement extends, has the advantage that the bale-forming arrangement is in contact at one time with the one rotary body and at another time with the other rotary body depending on the position of the carrier. In this way, a further loop can be formed by means of the carrier that shortens the bale-forming arrangement and thereby maintains the tension. However, this loop is formed only during the raising of the carrier and does not give occasion for an accumulation of stray crop during the baling operation. The bale-forming arrangement may be configured as a set of narrow, parallel belts, as a band or as a bar chain conveyor. The rotary bodies are regularly rollers or rolls, and they may also be configured as sprockets, particularly in the case of a bar chain conveyor. The configuration of the carrier is conceivable in many ways, for example, as a component with several planes, as a lattice work of tubes, as a correspondingly curved arm or the like.
This carrier may also be configured relatively massively, since it extends and moves outside of the side walls of the baling chamber. Since only the carrier, its rollers, and the corresponding sections of the belts are moved in order to eject the bale, but not the side walls, the positioning forces are low. The positioning paths are also short, if the carrier with its rollers and the sections of the bale-forming arrangement running over them, form the bottom of the baling chamber and the bale can fall to the ground after only a small stroke of the carrier.
A support of the carrier in bearings at least in the central region of the baling chamber, in contrast to a bearing support provided above it, has the result that the baling chamber can be opened quickly for the ejection of the bale, so that the baling operation can again be resumed very rapidly. When the carrier is raised, it can hardly touch the ejected bale, because due to its central position, its radial extent is considerably less than in the state of the art.
The positioning path of the carrier is not compromised by rotary bodies on stationary axes that are located in the end regions of the baling chamber, if these rotary bodies on stationary axes are located in a region into which the carrier with its rotary bodies intrudes only to a limited extent and if the rotary bodies provide space into which the carrier can intrude. With three rotary bodies above the baling chamber, the bale-forming arrangement can form a sufficient number of loops in order to be tensioned adequately.
The tension in the bale-forming arrangement is generated in a simple way by an arm that carries a rotary body, about which the bale-forming arrangement is conducted in a loop. The force to reposition or to retain the arm can be generated by a spring, a hydraulic or pneumatic motor or the like. If the arm and the rotary body supported in bearings on it is located above the baling chamber, it does not increase the length of the large round baler, but at most its height, which is not significant.
The one rotary body on the carrier, on the one hand, can be associated with a further rotary body offset from the first, and on the other hand, will prevent the spans of the bale-forming arrangement from touching each other. As an alternative, a rotary body of larger diameter could also be used.
A triangular configuration of the carrier provides a stable arrangement that also saves space. The configuration of the one corner region as a bearing assures a secure transmission of the forces.
If the carrier simultaneously forms the side wall of the baling chamber, this can result in a reduction of the number of parts. Instead of using tubes, struts or the like, the stiffness can be improved with ribs, flanges, folded edges or the like. The position of the rotary bodies to the side wall or the side walls does not change. If the rotary bodies with the carrier and thereby with the side walls are raised for the ejection of the cylindrical bale, any crop accumulated outside of the baling chamber is ejected from the large round baler.
If a further carrier is provided that can be pivoted, whose position is a function of the tension in the bale-forming arrangement and the force of the bale, these rotary bodies can adjust themselves in such a way that the bale is supported by several rotary bodies and thereby the surface pressure remains low. A low surface pressure results in a low resistance to movement and thereby to a low power requirement.
During the baling operation and the unloading operation, if the two rotary bodies of the carrier that perform a deflection of the bale-forming arrangement are located at the same distance or essentially the same distance from a rotary body with a stationary axis, then at one time a maximum shortening of the bale-forming arrangement can be performed and at another time, a corresponding maximum lengthening of the bale-forming arrangement can be performed.
If the side walls can be repositioned relative to the chassis of the large round baler, they can be moved apart from each other for the ejection of the cylindrical bale, so that the friction forces on them can be eliminated and the bale can easily be ejected from the baling chamber.
Rotary bodies that extend outside the baling chamber, that is, extend to the side beyond it, or are at least even with the sides, and can move, if necessary, along the end edges of the side walls, are able to accommodate a movement of the side walls.